


Hands

by destroyold



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 10:05:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3245618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destroyold/pseuds/destroyold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remembering is something which is usually considered important for living a life full of lessons and keeping the so-called memories as a treasure. However, nobody ever focuses on remembering hands, and the hero in this story is mostly known for being a man who always cares about details. Surprisingly so, he discovers that a certain pair of hands are what he’s forgotten to keep in his memory for his entire life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I'm here again with a Naruto fic now. It took me a lot of time to write this because this is one of my OTPs, and things are hard when you want to get a good grip on the characters' personalities. I hope I succeeded at it!  
> I hesitated a lot before posting this here; I do not believe in myself that much in terms of writing abilities. I hope you like this anyway! It's simple, for I didn't want to get a complicated plot for such sweethearts.  
> I thank my girlfriend and anyone who has thought I'm good at this on my tough but beautiful journey as an amateur writer.
> 
> \- Mel

Ever since he was a child, Kakashi was practical and took everything into consideration. He wouldn’t let anything go past him without him seeing it first, and he made notice of that once in a while. Now, older and wiser than before, he sat in front of the window as he watched over his land.

“Excuse me, Lord Hokage,” he heard Shizune, the former Hokage’s assistant, say, “there is someone waiting for you outside. May I let him come in?”

“Him?”

“It’s Captain Yamato, sir. He’s come here for his weekly visit as you may remember.”

With a nod and his eyes closed, Kakashi let her open the door for his friend. Shortly after seeing the new addition to the room, he sighed and asked Shizune to leave. It was the first time in a while they’d been alone, for there had been people with Kakashi every time they had previously seen each other.

“I thought about surprising you, but I followed the protocol instead,” Yamato said as he placed a chair next to Kakashi and sat there.

“You shouldn’t have done that. We haven’t had much fun in such a long time, Tenzo.”

“We haven’t had fun at all, senpai.”

Kakashi turned to see Yamato next to him, just like he had seen him for years now. “How’s it going with Naruto and Sai? I haven’t seen them around.”

“Of course you haven’t,” Yamato chuckled softly as he patted Kakashi’s knee. “The training is going perfectly. As far as I’m concerned, there are not many things Naruto could do to improve; he’s already being his brilliant self, and he has done a great job recovering. Nevertheless, he’s trying to learn Minato’s Body Flicker technique.”

“You will never see him doing the same things all the time. I’m glad he’s trying to learn it; Minato would feel really proud of him.”

“Sai is also doing well with his training. He has improved a lot after the war and the missions he’s had.” Kakashi heard him comment excitedly. When they were a team, it was a pleasure for Yamato to see how much Sai had got better in comparison to his actions as Team Kakashi’s newcomer. “I’m feeling kind of bored, though; I don’t have any spirits to control anymore after Naruto completely mastered Kurama’s chakra.” Yamato finally admitted, and soon he felt a hand on top of his.

“I could assign you a group of new Jounin if you want,” Kakashi offered.

“It’s not just that, though.” Yamato stopped him, looking concerned, “I miss you a lot too, and Sakura’s absence is something to which I’m just not used,” Yamato continued with a weak smile placed on his lips as he watched the village, “but I wouldn’t want this to be any different.”

“What do you mean, Tenzo?”

“I’m proud of you being Hokage. I’m proud of our team, and of how far we’ve come. I’m proud of our present,” Yamato told him as he shook his hand. Although he didn’t bother scolding Kakashi about it anymore, he still felt uncomfortable when he heard one of his previous names. The past was left in the past.

“You sound so serious today, Yamato,” Kakashi replied after a short silence between them, “Has something got into you?”

“I actually came here today to get you out of this cave. I believe you need it,” Yamato laughed faintly, dropping Kakashi’s hand and standing up, “don’t you, senpai?”

“Drop the “senpai”, Tenzo,” Kakashi said with a smile. Taking his Hokage coat off, he shook Yamato’s hand. “Deal. I’ll go with you now that you’ve made me realize I’m more committed to this job than I should.”

“What should we do, then?”

“Spar, Tenzo. We’ll spar.”

Swinging their hands for the last time, Kakashi let go and walked towards the door as he felt the ghost of Yamato’s hand on his.

 

* * *

 

Wood Style was the main cause for their first meeting as children. Kakashi still remembered that Tenzo, as he liked to call him, had tried to catch him with one of his techniques while he spied on Root. Now, years after that event, he was finally caught by Yamato.

“I am a fan of your Wood Style techniques, you know?” Kakashi admitted as he sat on the floor inside the wooden cage.

“I’m pretty much aware of that, Kakashi,” with that being said, the inheritor of the First’s cells also sat on the ground as he looked at his superior, “I recall you copying my Earth and Water techniques, yet you never got to do the same with my _kekkei genkai_.

“That’s true. I really was a shitty ninja.”

“I call it a tie, senpai.”

“What? Don’t you want to keep fighting?” Kakashi asked him with a surprised look on his eyes, “You never give up easily, Tenzo.”

“Come on. We have a long day ahead. Now, I want you to see Naruto and Sai, who were so happy about you having your free time today. They are on their way since I told them we’d be here.”

“You’ve planned everything, haven’t you?”

“Just like the good friend I am, Kakashi-san.”

“Precisely,” Kakashi finally agreed to that statement before they fell silent. They hadn’t had time to talk about anything and, now, they were wasting it on looking at each other and trying to ignore the fact that they couldn’t keep their eyes away from one another. “ _Friends, my ass_ ,” Kakashi thought later.

His Tenzo’s wide eyes met his one more time, and he couldn’t help feeling like crap. He’d had so many opportunities, yet he never took one to even try. Once again, it was his moment, and he was sure he would let it go pathetically. He was a coward with no romantic experience and high hopes for something that had been going on between them for so many years.

“It’s unbelievable how hands bear such a big burden, don’t you think?” _Way to go, Hatake_ , “I mean, have you ever wondered how your techniques actually sort of depend on the position of your hands?”

“Don’t go around the bushes.”

He knew him so well Kakashi was actually embarrassed about it. When he was with Tenzo, it felt like he could see right through him. He felt naked and horribly vulnerable.

“Nobody is going around any bushes.”

“Yes, you are,” Yamato sang as a response. The brunet made the wood go underground and left Kakashi sitting there as free as a bird out of its cage. He was challenging him as usual.

“It’s been such a long time since the last time I got to see your hands; your fingers, your veins, and even the little hairs that grow out of your wrists.”

That comment made Yamato stop and turn to the person who was addressing him. Surprised, he gathered some courage to move closer to his mentor.

“You can do wonderful things with them,” Kakashi continued, “You can be tender enough to run your fingers through someone’s hair, or you can be tough enough to summon an entire forest with them. This is just a thought, though.”

Yamato felt warm inside. He knew that hands were not something people usually focused their attention on.

“A magnificent one,” he dared replying, “I’m delighted. Happily, yours are great hands too.”

“Hopefully, I won’t use them for a thing such as Raikiri or Chidori ever again. I’ve had enough of it already,” Kakashi mentioned before sighing as usual. He felt really exhausted after the end of the war, and he seriously hoped for Konoha to be peaceful around the rest of the lands.

“Don’t ever say that, Kakashi-sensei!” They heard a familiar voice come from afar. Their squad had finally arrived. “Raikiri is one of the best things that have happened to our ninja world. Plus, without techniques like Chidori, Sasuke wouldn’t have mastered the ones he’s commonly known for.”

“It’s been a long time, Kakashi.”

The Hokage turned to see his former companions from old Team Kakashi. He had missed Naruto the most, and seeing him now made him feel more at home than ever.

“We apologize for the interruption,” Sai shamelessly whispered on Yamato’s ear.

“You guys arrived just on time.”

Yamato looked for Kakashi’s eyes and, once he found them, he gave him a lopsided smile to which Kakashi grinned back.

“How have you guys been doing?” Kakashi asked the younger men and took one more step closer to Yamato. “I have only had the chance to get in touch with my friend here, who has taken the time to visit me many times.”

“I thought the Hokage was busy enough not to see anyone,” Naruto said confused as he scratched the back of his head, “I don’t understand how you get away from work so easily.”

“He doesn’t!” Yamato replied nicely. “Actually, I’m very surprised he had enough time to go out with me for the day. Every time I go, I can’t be there for more than ten or fifteen minutes because Shizune says I’m distracting the Hokage.”

“I believe her when she says that,” Sai blurted out with his eyes glued on Kakashi. “Don’t you, Captain?”

“Sai, don’t be gross!” Naruto laughed it off as he watched Yamato’s face starting to disfigure, “You don’t say things like that!”

“I can’t ignore the obvious, Naruto.”

“Kakashi-sensei, you won’t believe what I’ve been doing in training lately!” As the professional Naruto always was at avoiding certain topics, he continued with some kind of answer to Kakashi’s question. Yamato laughed, relieved that Naruto suddenly felt touched by Sai’s words. It wasn’t the first time he heard him say that.

“Actually, Yamato has told me about your progress with the prosthetic hand.”

“Don’t ruin the mood, Kakashi-san,” Yamato whispered, feeling quite amused by their talk.

“And guess what?” Naruto continued, completely ignoring Kakashi, “Sakura is really proud of the things I’m able to do with my right hand now! She’s really amazed.” Talking about Sakura was something that always worked for Naruto. He always got all the attention when he mentioned her.

“By the way, how is she doing?”

“She’s doing great! She has a lot of work with Granny, but I still envy her!” Naruto complained with a high voice, “She’s had more opportunities to see Sasuke than I have. You are responsible for that, aren’t you?”

“Kinda.”

“Do not “kinda” me, sensei!” Naruto waved a hand in front of Kakashi’s face, “I’m his friend too, yet I haven’t seen him! We all know perfectly well that you are in charge of monitoring his visits and the people he sees.”

“Naruto, most of us are pretty sure that you’ll be Hokage someday,” Yamato explained to him as he put a hand on his shoulder to make him relax, “and that’s the main reason for you not to be able to see him as much as Sakura does. He’s a rogue with privilege, don’t you remember?”

“I’m sure he’ll ask me to see you next time. He’s coming in two weeks, so start preparing yourself for your next meeting,” Kakashi attempted to make sure that they would be alright about Sasuke now. He knew how hard it was not to see a close friend.

“See, Naruto?” Sai said out of the blue, “We cannot ignore the obvious.”

“Now,” Yamato mumbled while gritting his teeth, “we will all leave and have some ramen… will we not, Naruto?” He looked at the blonde boy with a terrifying look on his face. He hated it when Naruto had sudden tantrums in front of Kakashi, but he hated it even more when those tantrums happened in the short time they had to reunite as a team.

He got no answer from a frightened Naruto but could tell that things were already clear. Case closed.

Yamato 100 – Naruto 0

 

* * *

 

 

“I’ll never understand why Shizune is your assistant as well, Kakashi,” Sai asked him once they were all ready to eat. “I thought she only worked for Tsunade.”

“She simply told me that she wanted to continue with her job because she didn’t feel like leaving, and I couldn’t refuse. She is really good at it after all.”

“That sounds legit,” Naruto nodded as he drank the meal’s soup, “I thought you’d call Yamato-Taicho or Iruka-sensei for the job, though!”

“I’d rather have Iruka teaching children than teaching me how to be a good person,” Kakashi replied happily. “It’s obvious that he would’ve been like a mom chasing me to behave correctly. You do know about that, Naruto. I’m not going after personal growth anymore, and I’m feeling just fine with my independence.” After everyone laughed with his comment, he took a moment to look at Yamato and kept talking. “However, I did think about Yamato, but I didn’t want him to leave his job as the great captain he is. You must also remember that he’s my companion when I go on trips to other lands, so he’s some sort of unofficial assistant anyway.”

“I wouldn’t have accepted being his assistant either!” Yamato felt the pressure of words being trapped in his throat, and he had to let them out once he felt the other three men’s gazes upon him, “I know the way Kakashi works, and witnessing the Hokage making spontaneous decisions would’ve driven me crazy.”

“I’m good at making decisions, though.” Kakashi spoke proudly, “Life has given me different chances to choose the right options.”

“Right,” Yamato replied sarcastically, “you’ve got a lot of choices yet to make, so don’t rely on the fact that you’ve been right many times.”

Kakashi looked at him as though he had been struck by lightning. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You still haven’t chosen one thing that might be important for both of us, and you are simply running away from it.”

“And what is it, Tenzo?”

“Don’t call me that in front of them.”

“Don’t deny your past.”

“Don’t shove it in my face,” Yamato replied angrily as his hands turned into fists. Kakashi still asked himself how this man managed to remain polite about it. “This is sick. I’m not staying with you if you are going to be like this.”

From one to ten, how eager was Kakashi to fight against his fears? Let’s say eight.

“Yamato, wait!” Kakashi yelled outside Ichiraku once he saw Yamato give Teuchi the money to pay their meals and leave the place.

No matter how loud Kakashi screamed his name in the middle of the street, Yamato wouldn’t turn back. He knew his friend was actually humiliating himself in front of everybody, but appearances didn’t matter anymore. If Kakashi stopped chasing him, he’d probably consider it one more right decision made in his life.

Once he got home, he locked himself in his room and sat on the bed with his legs crossed. His main rule was to leave politeness out of his bedroom; otherwise, he’d get crazy with all the things he minutely oppressed.

“We have known each other for so many years that I can’t remember my life before him,” he told himself sincerely. He was always sincere when he was alone in his room. He had no one to lie to, so who cared about him saying the truth? No one at all. “At first, he was just a kid who cared about me; the first one, actually, and that’s what I love the most about him. He was the first person who cared about me, and who has never stopped caring.”

“You won’t ignore me now… will you, Tenzo?” He heard Kakashi yell outside his house, “I came for you and only you. Don’t make me wait when we can talk this through.”

Tenzo was suddenly moved by how things had developed, yet he sat on his spot. He had thought Kakashi would give up any time, but there he was, waiting for him downstairs.

“I know what you are thinking, but I said I would never leave you, didn’t I?” Kakashi stood in front of Yamato’s door. “You know what? I haven’t seen hands like yours, and that’s saying something because I’ve seen many hands in front of me. The bad thing about your hands is that I never really noticed them before this morning. Remembering things is important, and they weren’t part of my memories, not even when I perfectly know that it’s because of them that we met. Your Wood Style doesn’t develop without you weaving hand signs first. Do you know how important they actually are?”

Kakashi took a deep breath and crossed his arms on his chest. He never thought he would be patient enough to wait for someone to come out of a room. At first, he had thought that Tenzo had reacted childishly and tried to stop himself from going after him, but he understood how much he meant for him to leave their “thing” aside. Yamato wasn’t good at ignoring his pride either, so Kakashi knew he’d have to wait for him.

“What do my hands have to do with all this, Kakashi?” He saw Yamato open the door and stand there with an appalled expression.

“I’d appreciate it if you gave me the chance not to remember them but to have them refreshing my memory every day,” Kakashi whispered slowly, “I can remember all about you but your hands, and the fact that I haven’t been able to grasp their importance has been driving me crazy.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Yours are the hands I’ve wanted to hold every day,” Kakashi replied tenderly.

“I think you should come in.”

As Kakashi stepped into the room, Yamato’s eyes opened widely. “I shape chakra with my hands to create the wood. That’s first year at the Academy, Lord Hokage.”

“I’ll probably be an unemployed ninja tomorrow morning.”

“A right decision would’ve been to leave me alone.”

“A wrong decision would’ve been to let you go,” Kakashi answered, standing next to his interlocutor, “don’t you think?”

Yamato remained silent and only dared to run a hand through Kakashi’s white hair as his fingers caressed his head slowly. After that, he closed the door behind him.

“It was the right decision to make,” Kakashi shrugged his shoulders as he looked into Yamato’s eyes. “You’ve got me for so long that I can’t even remember how it felt to be without you.”

“We left the boys alone.”

“They’ll understand.”

Hands were what Kakashi had despised the most when he first confronted a situation that directly involved them. He remembered taking his father’s hands on his as he watched him lying dead on the floor. They looked pale, and they felt heavy; they were completely lifeless. After that, he taught himself to use his hands against the village’s enemies as he started to involve lightning in his techniques. Little did he know that he wouldn’t only use them on enemies, but he’d also be in charge of killing one of his best friends and failing the most important promise of his life. During the years he spent as an ANBU member, he met different people who used their hands to create marvelous techniques, but Yamato was the person he admired the most in terms of creating fighting methods. When they became friends and comrades, the Wood Style user had taken the time to explain to him how he used the wood element, and his explanation was something Kakashi would never forget; it was then when he learned that Yamato was strong enough to use two sorts of chakra natures and combine them.

 

* * *

 

 

“Oi, Yamato-Taicho!” He tried to listen to Naruto while he kept his eyes closed; his voice was being painfully loud that day. “You left us last night. What happened to you?”

“I hope you and Kakashi are finally together,” Sai stated with a nod. “Otherwise, his effort was just a waste of time, or that’s what my books have taught me.”

“Being rejected by someone doesn’t mean you are wasting your time on them,” Yamato sighed as he smiled at his beloved boys. “You should look for new books, Sai.”

Yamato saw Naruto smack Sai on the shoulder playfully, pretending he was annoyed by his comment. Nonetheless, the village’s Orange Spark fixed his gaze on him in order to get an answer. “Did you and Kakashi-sensei get together in the end?”

“Why do you think we would ever be together in the first place?” Yamato giggled as he shook his head.

“He called you Tenzo! Is that how you guys call each other when you are alone? That’s romance at its best, isn’t it?”

“You two have been weird around each other ever since the first time we gathered as a team,” Sai commented quietly. “And by “weird”, I mean “in love”. You’ve also known one another for a lifetime, so…”

“We should just start with your training,” Yamato was annoyed, the boys realized. His tone of voice was a million times higher than the usual one, and his eyes kept twitching out of desperation.

Tenzo meant more than just a codename. It was _his_ name, the one nobody was aware of but him. Sometimes, he really felt comfortable with the idea of him being the only one knowing it because he’d be able to call him that way whenever he wanted. Of course, after so many years using it, it was strange to call him by his mission codename; it just didn’t sound right.

“Kakashi-san,” he heard Shizune say as she passed him a pile of papers to read. “Are you doing well? You’ve been slow today.”

“Perfectly fine,” Kakashi suddenly replied, cupping his head with both of his hands. “I think I need some time to think about personal matters.”

“You can always count on me for anything, you know?”

Kakashi could feel Shizune’s inquiring stare directed towards him. He wasn’t clear himself about everything; things had escalated incredibly quickly indeed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Is this Hokage related?” Shizune dared to ask as she sat in front of Kakashi’s desk.

“It’s Yamato related.”

“Tsunade has always told me to keep an eye on you. Now, I know why…” Shizune muttered as she blushed and filled her brain with questions. “I know you do not usually make your feelings clear but, please, feel free to give details if you want to.”

“I’m thirty-two, you see.” Kakashi started quietly, his hands folded on the desktop, “I’ve known Tenzo for about twenty years, which makes it feel like a lifetime. I never thought we’d cross paths again after I left the ANBU, yet here we are. I honestly don’t know what to do, Shizune.”

“You could’ve lost him,” she whispered back, tilting her head to see her boss carefully.

“I was so happy to see him alive,” Kakashi admitted, filled with a strange feeling. He was used to that anyway; every time he remembered that Tenzo had been captured and in danger, he felt extremely overwhelmed. “I’m glad he didn’t die.”

“You should just go for it, Kakashi.” Shizune beamed at him as she took one of his hands, “I don’t know what you are waiting for.”

“I stayed with him last night,” Kakashi answered immediately. “I haven’t been idle at all. The problem here is that he didn’t say anything, and he kept staring at me the whole time he was awake. Then, he proceeded to fall asleep next to me, and I was left there to see him sleeping.”

Soon after Kakashi finished speaking, they heard a knock on the door. Shizune got up to open it and let the visitor come in as she welcomed him warmly. “Yamato! So good to see you again.”

“Is Kakashi here?” He asked politely, coughing as he looked to his feet. “Don’t worry if he’s too busy, I was just–“

“He’s not busy. Just give me a second before I leave you alone.” She replied as she still blushed. After that, he told Kakashi about the newcomer, cheering for him to move forward with their relationship, and left the office.

“Shouldn’t you be with Naruto and Sai?” Kakashi smiled as he stood up from his seat.

“They are waiting for me outside. The training isn’t over yet,” Tenzo laughed it off as he walked towards his lover, “I just wanted to make sure that you got a good answer to the hands thing.”

“Go on.”

“May I take your mask off with the hands that you claim to love so much?” He was listening to Yamato’s words carefully, and it wasn’t a great deal to let him do what he asked for.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I needed to knock on the stone bridge before crossing it, senpai. I wasn’t sure you’d really want to be with me until I got an encouraging pep-talk from Naruto and Sai. Once I discovered I got rid of any doubts, I decided to come here.”

“And…?”

“I won’t let you go either,” Yamato assured him with an energetic nod before planting a kiss on his lips. It was way better than reading an entire volume of Icha-Icha Paradise, Kakashi thought as he felt his heart beating wildly. “I want my hands to take care of yours forever.”

Kakashi looked at Tenzo completely surprised; he seriously wasn’t expecting him to make the second move. The bad thing about him replying was that Kakashi didn’t know what else to say or do. He was paralyzed, he felt numb, and he felt like a bucket of cold water had just been spilled right over him.

“Why didn’t we do all this before?” Kakashi wondered as he stared at Tenzo closely.

“We were too mesmerized dreaming about each other, weren’t we?” Tenzo chuckled before putting his mask on again.

After receiving a second kiss from him, Kakashi took Tenzo’s hands to scan them thoroughly. A good thing about starting this new stage together was that he wouldn’t forget those hands again.

“Yes. Yes, we were.”


End file.
